"We the willing, led by the unknowing, are doing the impossible for the ungrateful. We have done so much, with so little, for so long, we are now qualified to do anything, with nothing" By Konstantin Josef Jireček, a Czech historian, diplomat and slavist.

Friday, April 26, 2019 (PW) — Hot on the heels of the dissolution of the NYU whose
term has elapsed and the subsequent appointment of the steering committee led
by Mr Bak Salva to prepare for the election of the new body (vide Ministerial
Order); there have been some disgruntled and bigoted social media users who
have been ranting to have their voices or grievances heard without a semblance
of shame.

They consist of two groups mainly our cousins from Greater Bahr el Ghazal states; those in favour and against the former President of the NYU. These Youth are sharply divided as can be seen from the venom they have been spitting in the media against one another; they have taken it upon themselves to settle their scores using the position of the NYU as a Trojan horse by stirring up the situation and calling themselves names with some even questioning the legality of the Ministerial Order.

Friday, April 26, 2019 (PW) — Since
December 2013, President Kiir Mayardit has confined his presidential roles to
Juba. Hints of economic and political developments are limited to the capital
town. The president is only seen in public during celebration of national
events in Juba. His visits to regional towns and hinterlands are rare. Recently,
however, President Kiir Mayardit had surprised South Sudanese with a visit,
dubbed as ‘peace tour’, to Bahr el Ghazal. This tour was the second tour to the
region since 2013 political upheaval.

When we divorced
North Sudan, we didn’t expect our nascent political class to backslide the
country to guns as means of settling political differences. We thought our
amorphous elites would use dialogues or debates, as opposed to violence, to
address all forms of political differences.

But, it seemed, the long struggle for national liberation from Khartoum successive regimes had corrupted our leaders with moral turpitudes. No doubts, the 21-year- war, had inveigled, if not glued to, them with war philosophy. For these leaders; negotiations and dialogues are hard endeavours for engineering political solutions. Had our leaders knew how to debate political issues; 2013 crisis would have been averted.

Friday, April 26, 2019 (PW) — With the recent revolution in Khartoum, many people
within Khartoum are thinking about whether there will be a possibility to unite
Sudan. “South Sudan and Sudan.” However; such thinking will first have to meet
the litmus test of disunity, inequality, and development for all. It will also
have to meet the litmus test of why the South Sudanese voted for the Separation
for the first place.

The issue of reunification of the two independent Sudan is being talked about everywhere in Khartoum but its reality remains as an option to be explored. Adhieu Majok, a British-Dutch South Sudanese, an analyst, and a writer; who writes on the promotion of peace, girls and women rights and youth inclusivity in South Sudanese politics, wrote an article about this: Title: “willing Sudan’s uprising reunite North Sudan? In trying to answer this possibility of reunification of the two countries, she is content just like many other South Sudanese; who have suffered from the hand of the Khartoum regime spearheaded by the former Sudanese President: Omar Hassan Ahmed El Bashir.

Monday, April 15, 2019 (PW) — In 1989, the young,
charismatic and decorated Islamic army officer, Brigadier General. Omer Hassan
Ahmed Al Bashir took power in a bloodless coup d’état against the then
democratically elected government of Prime Minister Sadig Al Mahdi.

Yet again, 30 years
later, on 11th April 2019, Al Bashir was ousted in a bloodless people’s
revolution. To his credit, Omer Al Bashir’s bloodless entry and exit of power
is quite a unique contrary to the violent tradition of post-colonial African leaders’
ascendant to power. But that’s just it, little credit in the ocean of Bashir’s
30 year dictatorship, corruption, censorship and blunt impunity.

Who could have thought mere bread prices and cost of living will solidify the collective grievances of the people, and turn it into a historic revolution that will de-throne one of the most brutal African military dictators of our time? The answer lies in the definition of people’s power. Thanks to the relentless protest of the Sudanese people, under various groups and associations determined to unchain freedom and liberty.

The burning of traditional attires by the Diocese of Bor in Jonglei state is a clear reflection of moral and theological deficiencies within the Episcopal Church of South Sudan

By Michael Mading Akueth, Juba, South Sudan

Thursday, April 11, 2019 (PW) —- There is no dearth of literature on the origin and growth of religion, as is evident from the vast bibliography of the subject. Most of the popular works, however, especially those of the nineteenth century, are based on an evolutionary hypothesis regarding the -origin of man, and in many cases they took for fact another hypothesis which eliminated God from human history.

Therefore the debate for God present and not present have been living with human kind for ages and the extremists of either side were always confronted with facts of tolerance. Theorists structured them into two main school of thoughts those who belief in God (Atheist) and those who don’t belief in the existence of God (anti-Atheist).

Like this:

Saturday, 6 April 2019 (PW) – The Bank of South Sudan (BSS), originally a regional branch of the Bank of Sudan took over the responsibility of being the central Bank for the newly formed country in 2011. The 2011 Act, establishing the BSS, authorised it to regulate all the financial institutions in the country including the commercial banks.

The late Elijah Malok Aleng, was the first governor of the Bank of Southern Sudan up until shortly after independence. He stayed in the office for a few months after July 9, 2011 and was replaced by Cornelius Koriom Mayik, his former deputy.

Fact or fiction, Mr. Aleng was rumoured to have given a symbolic broom to the country’s ruler during handover. That was not the “new broom sweeps clean,” literally according to the rumour. It might have meant a licence for clearing whatever he built and sustained during the six-year interim period by the new and untested governor. The new governor-designate to take over had previously presided over the collapse of a private bank in the immediate past.

The roles of teachers as vibrant agents of change and the enormous challenges besetting their teaching profession

By Abraham Mabior Rioc, Hong Kong, China

Friday, April 5, 2019 (PW) — The
teaching profession in some countries, especially the developing nations, has
often been ignored in terms of allocation of enough educational resources to
meet the societal goals of quality education. As a result, this renders the
profession less desirable when it comes to national intake quota per se and
also contributes to low morale among instructors at all levels of education.

In
most cases, the position of a teacher is very important in the society for it
disseminates important messages and vital information through learning and
teaching domains which are pertinent to professional and intellectual
development. For this reason, the teaching profession continues to lose its
brilliant and qualified manpower to other sectors despite the vital roles they
play in the nation building.

In one of his lectures at St. Lawrence University in Uganda, Prof. J.C Sekamwa, a prominent professor of Education in Uganda had this to say: “Teacher is like a father who loves all his children irrespective of their behaviors and manners”. In a different context, in his teaching, he would always tell us (his students) that teaching, and learning is the opposite side of the same coin and each supplement one another. In this respect, it implies that a teacher is like a biological father or mother who does not discriminate against his or her own children–being the lame, weak, thief, mention them.

RE: An open letter to H.E. Salva Kiir Mayardit, President of the Republic: The Israeli Project of Learn and Earn to South Sudanese Youth is not a Scholarship but Rather a Modernized Slavery

Bek Dhuorjang Chol, Juba, South Sudan

Gen. David Uri Ben Uziel (AKA Tarzan or John), the Israeli soldier who fought with the Anyanya one freedom fighters in the 1960-70s under the leadership of Gen. Joseph Lagu

Thursday, April 4, 2019
(PW) — Your Excellency the president, gregarious greetings
to you and best wishes. Mr. President, I wish to appreciate your tremendous
efforts exerted to sign the revitalized peace agreement to ensure a peaceful
resolution of the conflict in our country. The ongoing implementation
process is applauded as a step towards sustainable peace and stability in our
beloved country.

Your Excellency, I would like to contextualize on your
speech addressed to the nation during the peace celebrations organized in Juba
last October 31st, 2018 in which you call on the nation to revive the economy and lay
the foundation for critical transport, communication, power, and agricultural
infrastructure before the end of the transitional period. It would be better
for young people to embark on agricultural activities by identifying farms and
cultivate to supply our market at a cheaper rate as part of their contribution
to nation building.

On the 27th September 2017, the first batch of 20 South Sudanese students were sent by the National Youth Union in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to the State of Israel particularly Tel Aviv the capital for what was known as the “Learn and Earn” program in Kinneret college initiated by H.E. Hanan Goder, the Israeli Ambassador to South Sudan, Mr. Oren David the director of Kinneret College in Galili and Mr. Nasim Hadad one of the staff of the college.

The upcoming State and Opposition pilgrimage to the Vatican: The Case of the South Sudanese Peace Process

By Pal Chol Nyan, Juba, South Sudan

President Salva Kiir with Pope Francis, Vatican, March 2019

Tuesday, April 2, 2019 (PW) — Rumours had it that
there would be a high profile political pilgrimage to the Vatican by the State
and Opposition officials this month. It
is said that the pilgrimage is meant to reconcile the warring factions of South
Sudan especially the politicians, the protagonists of this deadly war, who have
been on each other’s necks for nearly five years.

In the process, the divided SPLM
political pilgrims would be required to observe two of the seven sacraments;
that is repentance and then they would be prayed for as they seek for
forgiveness. This is consistent with the Catholic and Anglican Communion norms
and teachings.

It is a public knowledge that South Sudanese politicians have been branded by the region and the International community as corrupt, intransigent, self-seeking and uncaring for their downtrodden people they impoverished and subjected to untold suffering.

Al-Sabah Children’s Hospital in Juba: A shocking experience of the dilapidated state of healthcare system in the Republic of South Sudan

By Rajab Mohandis, Juba, South Sudan

A view of Juba City, South Sudan

Tuesday, April 2, 2019 (PW) — Al-Sabah Children’s Hospital is the largest and one of the best-funded children’s health centers in South Sudan. Unfortunately, it could also be ranked as one of the most poorly manned healthcare centers in the country. I chose to go public because of my shocking and sad experience with this hospital. May be this alarm will help save one life.

I had no knowledge of the level of ineffectiveness of health facilities in Juba until I had a practical experience trying to save the life of my child. My little son was born on March 12, 2019 at a health center in Gudele, a suburb of Juba City. The midwife who attended to my wife refused to accept my sister and a couple of elderly female relatives who wanted to witness the birth of the child and provide any help during the delivery. This particular midwife was unprofessional and very arrogant.

I am told this is a common behavior among midwives in Juba. Unfortunately, I have heard of terrible experiences of women on labour in the hands of these midwives.

Thursday,
March 21, 2019 (PW) —
Thought not blood, unmeasurable ink has been spilt over the Minister for
Finance and Economic Planning, Hon. Salvatore Garang Mabior. But the truth
remains: He is not corrupt as being misleadingly alleged. That’s the reason I
don’t buy all these corruption allegations born of consummate hatred and
insipid circumlocution which have been circulating on the online media for
sometimes now. It’s merely a political attrition in play.

All these platitudinous sermons carry no
shred of truth by any imagination. They are being purposely contrived and
propagated by his political nemesis to settle political scores. However, his
legacy is imprinted in a hard stone. Even if he is thrown into political
oblivion by this exotic politics of subterfuge and egregious lies – and I am
sure he will withstand all the odds and continue climbing the ladder of stardom
and greatness, his legacy is written in the hard rock.

Upon his appointment, he has successfully managed to ameliorate the living conditions and that is why the country is now economically convalescing. Get your popcorn and let me peel your eyes. His achievements are ineffable and here are the headlines.

Peter Biar Ajak is a South Sudanese PhD student of politics and world affairs at Cambridge University in the UK; he was detained by agents of the national security at Juba International Airport on his way to Aweil for the celebration of Red Army Day.

Wednesday, March 20, 2019 (PW) Abstract: This paper deals with the “Rights of arbitrarily arrested and detained persons in South Sudan”. It is based upon the juridical norms of criminal law which presumes that the “thousand of accused persons can be punished but one innocent shouldn’t be punished arbitrarily”.The paper explicitly articulate that one of the basic tenets of our legal system is the benefit of the presumption of innocence of the accused person till he/she is found guilty at the end of the trial conducted by a dully constituted open court of law based on the evidence gathered. The reason being that the rights of an accused person not to be arbitrarily arrested and detained are sacrosanct. The accused in South Sudan are accorded certain rights, the most basic of which are found in the South Sudanese Transitional Constitution, 2011.

Kerbino Wol Agok

I. Introduction

There are several key pieces of legislation in South Sudan
that relate to arrest and detention, most notably the Transitional Constitution
of South Sudan, 2011 and the Code of Criminal Procedure Act, 2008.

The Transitional Constitution 2011 sets out a comprehensive Bill of Rights that promotes life and human dignity, personal liberty, equality before the law, the right to a fair trial and freedom from torture. The Code of Criminal Procedure Act, 2008 sets out the procedures for arrests and detentions and allocate powers to the relevant authorities.

Tuesday, March 19, 2019 (PW) —- Peace is an important thing in human life. It is demonstrated by our daily actions toward others. The noble choice of doing right things depends on individual’s attitude and behaviors. When we behave in the right manner, our behaviors immediately translate into peace. For the last 3 years there had been a search for a lasting peace in South Sudan. Many agreements had been signed but dishonored.

The Khartoum peace
agreement signed in 2018 is another step towards lasting peace. Although
critics argue that it will not hold because it does not address the root causes
of conflict, I’m optimistic that there are chances of achieving peace because
our leaders have expressed their full commitment to implement it.

But how do we achieve lasting peace in South Sudan? Well, in my opinion, real peace starts from within ourselves and extends to others. For us to achieve happiness in life, we must allow the strings of love and unity to bind us together. When we understand the meaning of life, we learn to appreciate the very reason of our existence. True freedom and the right to life are only exercised when we own the spirit of nation building and avoid illegal activities like corruption, gambling, robbery, rebellion and revenge killings.

Tuesday, March 19, 2019 (PW) — Peace does not rest
in the charters and covenants alone. It lies in the hearts and minds of all
people. So let us not rest all our hopes on parchment and on paper, let us
strive to build peace, a desire for peace, a willingness to work for peace in
the hearts and minds of all of our people. I believe that we can. I believe the
problems of human destiny are not beyond the reach of human beings. Cynicism
masquerades as wisdom, but it is the farthest thing from it.

Because cynics don’t learn anything. Because cynicism is a self-imposed blindness, a rejection of the world because we are afraid it will hurt us or disappoint us. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. If there is a mystical chord in democracy, it probably revolves around the notion that unexpected music can resonate from politics when people are pursuing questions larger than self I have seen that ennobling effect in people many, many times expressed by those who found themselves engaged in genuine acts of democratic expression, who claimed their right to define the larger destiny of their community, their nations.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped.

Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve a lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance. (more…)

Monday, March 11, 2019 (PW) —September, 22nd 2012 was the day our dear mother and sister Mama Teresa Nyankol Mathiang Dut’s precious life was slashed by the invisible hand of death. Teresa Nyankol Mathiang Dut born in Abyei of Ngok Dinka to Mathiang Dut’s family was a South Sudan great Artist, in her aptitude as the daughter of the then Sudan she inspired generations of Sudanese since 1970s through her cultural, socio-economic and political narrations in songs.

Human lives on wishes and remembrances, a tall tree that has fallen along the busy road cannot goes without being notice by the regular travelers; Mama Nyankol had South Sudan in heart and has done what a devoted daughter can do to her motherland.

Throughout the liberation eras to the independent of South Sudan until the time her beautiful and celebrated life was pierced by poisoned thorn of death, she had acted as a mother, daughter and counselor to the marginalized people of Southern Sudan, New Sudan and South Sudan. (more…)

Sunday, March 10, 2019 (PW) — Cpt. Mabior; one of the most lucid, powerful and nuanced thinkers of our time, a true revolutionary concerns with “consciousness tuned to the highest pitch of refinement”— explores the chronicle of events in his arrestingly titled and arrestingly argued “pubic service Announcements”.

Aiming to reveal the deepest strata of reality; he focused his precocious wisdom on informing South Sudanese of the contradictions surrounding the implementation of R-ARCISS and how the alleged reunification of the SPLM will never change the predicament of the nation. He articulated this with stunning succinctness that calls for imagining nobler alternatives to the dicta and mindsets of regime predatory nature. For long time now, Cpt. Mabior’s writings attuned us to consider the tectonics of change on the scale of revolutionary truth! The biggest question is, are south Sudanese really reading him?

Truth is the only way South Sudanese can wrest order from chaos; it is the only way we can construct a foothold so we may as a nation climb toward peace and harmony. This is one of Mabior’s most countercultural yet incisive points; it has little or nothing to do with politics! Rather than dealing with petty surface facts, as South Sudan politic is apt to, he dwells in largest truth; urging local masses to stop seeing themselves as naturally despondent people that would embrace any effort from the regime to legitimize their self-view as victims.

#MAMARASAKIT: I Am A Phenomenal Woman — Celebrating the 2019 International Women’s Day

By Amer Mayen Dhieu, Brisbane, Australia

#MaMaraSakit – Amer Mayen Dhieu, gender and human rights activist

#MAMARASAKIT

I am a woman

A phenomenal Woman

I am strong, I am brave

Nations use me as weapons of war

Through rape, torture, abuse

I survived, I conquered

#MAMARASAKIT

I am phenomenal woman

–

I am a woman

A phenomenal woman

Biologists claim I am weak, emotional, irrational

Yet, I work seven days a week, contributing to the economy through

Unpaid work, childbearing, providing shelter and a place to call home

#MAMARASAKIT

I am phenomenal woman

–

I am a woman

A phenomenal woman

At home, I am abused, emotionally tortured, physically harmed

In many countries, no laws preventing this cruel act

Cultures, traditions and even customary laws unconsciously support this cruelty

Some promote it, calling it a way to discipline me

I stand strong because I am not “JUST” a woman

I am a phenomenal woman

–

#MAMARASAKIT

They called me a mere dependent

Yet I am caring, I accommodate more than what my human energy can afford

Caring for the most vulnerable members of my household, even the busy workers

I gave up the healthy 8 hour sleep required

Because I need to stay up to prepare meals, provide baby needs and cater for home occupants

With all these commitments, how am I a mere dependent?

I am a woman

A phenomenal woman

–

#MAMARASAKIT

I participate

I contribute

I care

I Love

Through my organs, I support human multiplication

I produce eggs, fertile ones

I conceive

Through conception to gestation period, I carry the load for 9 months

I am not “JUST a woman, I am a phenomenal woman

–

#MAMARASAKIT

I am resilient

I go through pains, unbearable ones

Sometimes, when nature fail me, I go through knife to reproduce humanity

Through my biological power, I keep human generation going.

I am important, not “JUST” a woman, a phenomenal woman

#MAMARASAKIT

Save me from all cruelty

I need laws, to protect me

I need manners, to respect me

I need more consideration, to appreciate my contribution

I need protection, to prevent more raping

More torture, more domestic violence, and more murders

–

I am not “JUST” a woman,

I am phenomenal woman

Happy International Women’s Day

#Think equal

#Build smart

#Innovate for change

Ms. Amer Mayen Dhieu, the co-founder and executive director for the Twic East Girls Scholarship Program (TEGSP), received her Bachelor of Social Science degree, majoring in Psychology and Human Services from the Christian Heritage College in Brisbane, Queensland, and her Masters of International Relations, majoring in International Security and Human Rights, from Griffith University in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. You can reach her via her email: Mayen Dhieu mayendhieu90@gmail.com

Why should the issue of the name of the County ‘Alabek County’ be a dividing factor for the Lou-Mawien/Lou-Ariik Community of Tonj State?

By Abraham Mabior Rioc, Hong Kong, China

Monday, March 4, 2019 (PW) — Following the creation of 32 states in 2015 by the President of the Republic H.E. Gen. Salva Kiir Mayardit, new problems seem to be gaining momentum in communities with regards to the naming of some of the administrative units such as state, county, Payam or Boma. On the foreground, the decision was received with mixed reactions and feelings by South Sudanese communities as an appealing message of taking towns closer to the people.

Basically, the president of the Republic was applauded by the majority for having made one of the boldest and wisest decision to create new states and counties. On the contrary, some critics and communities criticize the decision of the president due to their own understanding and perceptions of the decree. Nonetheless, it was meant to take towns and basic services closer to the people as their demands.

In this context, Lou-Mawien/Lou Ariik community was one of the geographical locations that received the news with open arms and immediately kneeled down to receive and seize the responsibility of their own county with both hands and one mind. As in the process of naming the county, the first name that was at first glance declared by the President was Lou Ariik County. (more…)

Monday, March 4, 2019 (PW) — South Sudan is considered a single-party state by many people. This is because the existing parties are either friendly to and affiliated with the ruling SPLM or they are some briefcase political parties in the bush fighting the SPLM government. This has made every political decision in the country prone to monopoly by SPLM; the latest being the reunification of the party—an initiative now being advanced as a national agenda, when it is just a single political party’s program.

In the year 2014, as the forces allied to Dr. Riek were fighting the government the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), National Resistance Movement (NRM) and African National Congress (ANC) suggested that the best way to solve the conflict was to reunite the SPLM House. As a result, the Entebbe and Arusha negotiations were initiated by President Kikwete and Museveni, leading to the signing of Arusha Agreement on 21 January 2015.

As a sign of good faith, the former Secretary General of SPLM, Cde Pagan Amum came back to Juba in July 2015 to retain his spot and jump start the reunification process. However, the visit was short lived as Pagan returned to exile pointing fingers at the government for not being serious in the implementation process of Arusha Agreement. (more…)